Tag Archives: powder of life

Crafts and Cons

As I said last week, I’ve already written about the 2003 Oziana across two posts back when it was new, and I still agree with what I wrote. I didn’t go into much detail, though, so I’ll examine it a … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Board Games, Characters, Dick Martin, Games, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Marcus Mebes, Melody Grandy, Music, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Magical Art Imitates Life

Recently, fellow Oz fan Kevenn Smith raised an interesting question on Facebook about how the magically animated beings in the series function the way they do. “For instance, the Sawhorse doesn’t really sound like he has knees. How does he … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Characters, Eric Shanower, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Increase Your Word Power

There’s an article in the newest Baum Bugle, which isn’t yet available in physical form, about the magic word from The Magic of Oz, discussed in the context of magic words in the series and other fiction. The writer, Dennis … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Fairy Tales, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Magic Items, Nursery Rhymes, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Magical Buildup

I’ve occasionally seen the question as to whether it was morally questionable for Dorothy to take the Magic Belt from the Nome King. I think she really didn’t have much choice, as he was determined to keep Ozma and her … Continue reading

Posted in L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Frustration Quest

Yesterday was L. Frank Baum’s birthday, so I figured I should write something Oz-related, but I’ve probably covered just about every possible topic when it comes to Baum’s creation. I was thinking recently, however, about how I usually say The … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Characters, Eric Shanower, Humor, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Music, Oz, Oz Authors, Prejudice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Perfectly Petrified

Writing about the legend that Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos was turned into a marble statue and buried near the Golden Gate of Constantinople got me thinking of the mentions of such statues in the Oz books. For some reason, L. … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Comics, Eric Shanower, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

These Walls Can Talk

The Oz series in general is big on having normally inanimate objects walk and talk, from the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman in the first book on through living beings made of wood, glass, stone, smoke, ice and snow, foodstuffs, and … Continue reading

Posted in Dick Martin, Edward Einhorn, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Oz, Oz Authors, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Things We Did on Glass

I’ve been thinking of the uses of glass in the Oz books, particularly when applied in a magical way. The Mangaboos live in glass buildings that grew out of the ground and can grow back together again if they’ve been … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Gina Wickwar, Greek Mythology, Hugh Pendexter, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Roman, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

It’s Gorilla Time

The Red Gorilla of Oz, by Richard Capwell – In some ways, this is a pretty typical Oz adventure, with someone from a small community seeking help from the Ozian establishment in resolving a problem. In this case, it’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Characters, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wishing and Hoping

One common theme in fairy tales is an item or character who grants wishes. Honestly, I find this idea to be problematic, because they’re so ill-defined. Can a wishing item or creature grant ANY wish, or do they have limits? … Continue reading

Posted in Fairy Tales, Magic Items, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments